| Arroyo gives P100-M for JAS-Glan road |
| Written by Eldie S. Aguirre | |
| Friday, 04 July 2008 | |
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President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has ordered the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to release P100 million to commence the construction of the 73-kilometer concrete road from Jose Abad Santos, Davao del Sur to Glan, Sarangani Province.
Arroyo who was the keynote speaker for the 41st founding day of Davao del Sur on July 1 announced the immediate release of the initial funds for the project that would link the two neighboring provinces in the Southern part of the country.
Jose Abad Santos Mayor Alexander Wangkay said his constituents had been dreaming of this project to be materialized to fast-tract the movement of agricultural products to the market.
“We badly needed that road since we considered it as the ‘missing link’ to push our town towards economic development. It would be a major breakthrough for us who had been isolated from the rest of the region for a long, long time”, Wangkay said.
The mayor said the local government has requested the Office of the President to appropriate P1.7 billion for the opening and concreting of a 73-kilometer Jose Abad Santos to Glan road section that includes the construction of 15 bridges along the way.
Wangkay said even if the amount that was announced by the President is way below their request he considered it as the beginning of more economic development activities in their town.
He said an all-weather road is currently under construction in the same route through the farm-to-market-road funds of the Department of Agriculture (DA).
Meanwhile, DPWH Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane earmarked P20 million for the construction of a bay-walk adjacent to the town hall of Jose Abad Santos during his visit on June 25.
Jose Abad Santos, Glan in Sarangani Province and Sarangani town in Davao del Sur have established an economic cooperation triangle the called JAGS-CT an acronym of these LGUs who bonded together to boost economic development and tourism. (With reports from Marlon Gayog)
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